Friday, February 14, 2014

Cynsational News & Giveaways

Sisters Aly and Brooke love spending time at their mom’s popular and successful nail salon—it’s their “home away from home.” At the end of another incredibly busy day, Mom complains she is completely overwhelmed at work, even more so by all the kids who come to have manis and pedis.

That’s when the sisters have a brilliant idea: Why don’t they open up a mini nail salon just for kids within Mom’s store?

More News & Giveaways

Pete Hautman on The Book That Will Save Us from Janni Lee Simner at Desert Dispatches. Peek: "You see, we are all drowning, and that is the reason we keep writing, because every new book is the book that will float us above and away from (choose three) irrelevance, poverty, mediocrity, madness, obscurity, obloquy, ourselves." See also That We May Live by Marion Dane Bauer.

Query.Sign.Submit with Agent John Cusick from I Write for Apples. Peek: "Some folks are fabulous first-draft writers, but have a hard time editing. Others are a mess to begin with, but the manuscript improves 200% with every revise. Everyone’s different, but I need to know a prospective client can get the book where it needs to be before I can start contacting editors."

What I Learned about Depression from Francisco X. Stork. Peek: "I’m one of those who agree with Ursula K. Le Guin
that 'one of the things fiction does is lead you to recognize what you did not know before.' I thought I knew about depression before I started writing the book (my long-time experience with this illness was why I agreed to write it), but there were attitudes, feelings thoughts about depression that I now recognize for the first time."

Choosing Our Mystery's Murderer from Elizabeth Spann Craig. Peek: "Mystery writers that I’ve met tend to fall into a couple of different groups—writers who have picked their killer before they start writing their story (or early in their draft) and those who decide by the end of the book who the killer will be."

Ask Questions to Help Find Your Story by C.S. Lakin from Angela Ackerman at Writers Helping Writers. Peek: "Thousands of hours of critiquing and editing have led me to notice that there are some questions I seem to ask a lot. Which tells me there are some general gaps that many writers have in common in their novel-constructing process."

Conference Dos & Don'ts by Rosie Genova from QueryTracker Blog. Peek: "Business casual is the way to go, and unless you’re wearing sequins or a tuxedo, slightly overdressing (a day dress, a skirt and cardigan, a shirt and tie for the guys) is rarely a mistake."

The Clearance Kids by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo from The Huffington Post. Peek: "These students inked with gang tattoos, dyed green punk hair, post teen pregnancy appearances or linebacker-sized guys with hidden identities who don't conform to the norm of traditional high school, soon became my heroes."

Interview with Author-Illustrator C.S. Jennings by Greg Leitich Smith from GregLSBlog. Peek: "When I receive a manuscript for a chapter book, I am looking for the places in the text where I can share moments that will grip the reader. Whether it's an emotion, some fun character, or cool element, I ask myself, 'What would I want to see as the reader?' Admittedly, sometimes it's 'What do I want to draw? 'Ah, sweet! Spaceships!'"

Writing Habits: Getting Back on Track by Kristi Holl from Writer's First Aid. Peek: "Several writers I’ve read lately say that if you’ve been away from your writing for a week or more, you can expect about ten days of writing that is no more fun than getting teeth pulled when you start again."

Congratulations to Lorie Ann Grover on the release of Firstborn (Blink, 2014). Peek from the promotional copy: "Where does a firstborn girl fit in a world dominated by men? When Tiadone was born, her parents had two choices: leave their daughter outside the community to die in the wilds, or raise her as male and force her to suppress all feminine traits." See also the Cover Story from readergirlz.

Kirkus Reviews says of Feral Curse (Candlewick, 2014): "Campy humor is paired with themes of social justice in this fast-paced, clever second volume in the Feral series....A neat, smart middle novel that clearly sets the stage for an epic showdown between those who champion the rights of shifters and those blind to their humanity."

The Horn Book praises the "light tone," "witty banter," and chimes in: "...as kooky a cast of supernatural characters as ever...but they’re all relatable in various ways and easy to root for. Debut character Kayla—level-headed, religious, but also quietly proud of her shifter nature—holds her own, nicely complementing Yoshi’s swagger, Wild Card shifter Clyde’s newfound confidence, and human Aimee’s resourcefulness."

Over at readergirlz, Lori Ann Grover cheers, "Kayla is a strong female protagonist, perfect for readergirlz, while many will swoon for Yoshi. The pacing is fast, the mystery layered, and the adventure full."

"'Maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counseling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counseling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical,' Rowling told Watson..."

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About

New York Times & Publishers Weekly best-selling, award-winning author the Tantalize series, the Feral series and other critically acclaimed fiction for young readers. MFA Faculty, Vermont College of Fine Arts. Board member, We Need Diverse Books. Ohonvyetv!